Clare Grace
Vice President, Site and Patient Access, INC Research
September 21, 2016

The judges have deliberated, and the verdict is in. After a very thorough evaluation of nearly 70 submissions, INC Research and CISCRP are thrilled to announce the 14 finalists that will be going to Boston to compete in the “Inspiring Hope” Ideathon this month.

When we challenged the clinical research community to come up with ideas for bringing greater awareness to clinical trial participation, we believed we would receive great #ideas4patients. But the 70 submissions we received for this year’s Ideathon initiative weren’t just great, they were truly innovative.

We received entries from industry-leading organizations and advocacy groups, as well consultants and devoted individuals alike – all of whom are committed to pushing science forward. The diversity among entrants and their range in creativity is truly a testament to the innovative crowdsolving event, which called upon those across the industry to come together to solve one of the most pressing issues facing research development: low clinical trial participation rate, which is hovering at 5 percent.

Here are a few of the finalist ideas, which will be presented at next month’s Ideathon:

· A sophisticated algorithm to reach and enroll social media users into clinical trials

· Working with Google to include a "doodle" for various days of the year honoring specific female and/or minority populations who have participated in clinical trials.

· Using referral-based crowdsourcing platform to recruit patients who would most likely benefit from specific clinical trials.

· Establishing a mobile unit that provides health screening, education, and access to clinical trials in rural and inner city areas.

· A program that honors a sick or recently deceased loved one by participating in clinical research.

These ideas, and the many others we received, showcase the great dedication of our community to make an impact on clinical research. We thank all entrants for their participation.